MAPACA

Mid-Atlantic Popular &
American Culture Association

In the post 9/11 world, where much of the American understanding of Islam is framed by unfamiliarity and war, the media representations of the religion, the people who follow it and the majority Islamic areas of the world are largely tainted. Several beliefs about the followers, especially the female believers, of Islam have become the default depictions of the religion as a whole. (Alsultany, p.164) The current debate rests in the truthfulness of these images and their ability to be generalized to the whole of the Islamic population.

In the case of women, the images presented, by Western scholars and ex-Muslim women, often depict oppression and violence as pillars of the religion, instead of isolated instances of its abuse. (Alsultany, p.166; Vintges, p.284) Because the news often capitalizes on these depictions, the images created are projected on the populations of Islamic countries, but rarely compared to the realities of those places. Some truths and exaggerations are to be found in nearly all media depictions, but the concern is that the line between the two is blurred in regard to coverage of Muslim women in American media. (Gamson, p.347) The purpose of this research is to assess the changing attitudes towards Muslim women in American media post September 11.

Using content analysis, I will compare the articles written about Muslim women since 2001. The content analysis will be one half of a larger project, which will serve as my senior thesis.